Annotated Bibliography: Faulkner's "Barn Burning"
This annotated bibliography examines three scholarly works analyzing William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning." The first source addresses Ford's exploration of narrative aging and the perspective of the abused child protagonist, Sarty. The second covers Loges's analysis of the symbolic significance of character names, including connections to biblical figures and Faulkner's broader fictional world. The third discusses Zender's psychological reading of the climactic moment in which Sarty effectively causes his father's death, framing it as a coming-of-age act set against the cultural backdrop of the post-Civil War American South. Together, these annotations provide a foundation for understanding the story's themes of truth, family loyalty, moral choice, and identity.
- Introduction: Overview of the annotated bibliography's scope
- Ford on Narrative Aging and Sarty's Perspective: Narrative technique and the abused child's viewpoint
- Loges on the Symbolic Significance of Names: Biblical and literary meaning behind character names
- Zender on Sarty's Pivotal Choice and Coming of Age: Psychological reading of Sarty's climactic decision
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What makes this paper effective
- Each annotation clearly identifies the source's central argument before moving into textual evidence and analysis, making it easy to evaluate each critic's contribution.
- The annotations connect the scholarly arguments back to specific passages and moments in Faulkner's story, grounding abstract critical claims in textual detail.
- The paper situates the literary criticism within a broader historical and cultural context — the post-Civil War American South — giving each annotation relevance beyond close reading alone.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective annotation writing by combining summary, evaluation, and relevance in each entry. Rather than simply paraphrasing a source, each annotation explains what insight the source provides, why it is valuable, and how it contributes to a fuller understanding of Faulkner's story. This three-part approach — summary, assessment, and utility — is a hallmark of a well-executed annotated bibliography.
Structure breakdown
The paper consists of three source annotations, each organized around a single scholarly article. The Ford annotation addresses narrative technique; the Loges annotation focuses on onomastics and biblical allusion; and the Zender annotation examines psychological interpretation and character development. Each annotation concludes with a brief evaluative sentence that reinforces the source's scholarly value, giving the bibliography a consistent and professional structure throughout.
Introduction
The following annotated bibliography presents three scholarly sources that examine key aspects of William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning", including its narrative technique, symbolic use of names, and the psychological dimensions of its central coming-of-age conflict.
Ford on Narrative Aging and Sarty's Perspective
Ford discusses the narrative aging of the main character in "Barn Burning." Through the eyes of the brutalized child, there is no real sense of his father Abner's motivations, nor of the son's characteristic numbness — a form of self-preservation created by the tragedy of abuse, both a cultural and personal phenomenon. The work describes several passages, and especially the interactions between father and son, to trace the aging of the young character within the historical context of the post-Civil War South. It reflects on what Sarty might deduce about his father's character once viewed through the lens of maturity.
The work provides significant insight into a challenging aspect of the narrative. The brief recollection of the abused child — the few days of childhood that serve as the story's setting — would not, if told as a simple narrative, have offered much insight into the father's character. Ford details the scene in which Sarty is struck by his father for wanting to testify against him at the opening trial. When the father strikes the boy, the narrator ages him mentally, conjecturing how an older person — or even a man — might perceive the situation. Viewing his father through older eyes, Sarty speculates that had he defended the honor and truth sought by the justice of the peace, siding with his father's "enemy" (good) over his duty to family (evil), he would simply have been struck a second time.
Another insightful passage details the same narrative technique in relation to the meager fire Abner builds to warm his family while camping between homes. The young Sarty simply accepts that these are the kinds of restrained fires his father builds, while the aged narrative voice speculates as to why an arsonist would choose such a small fire when he has the compulsion to burn other people's property — a question illuminated by a brief retelling of Abner's war history. The literary analysis serves as an insightful interpretation of this narrative technique.
Ford, M. (1998). Narrative legerdemain: Evoking Sarty's future in 'Barn Burning'. Mississippi Quarterly, 51(3), 527.
Loges on the Symbolic Significance of Names
In his literary criticism, Loges discusses the importance of names in "Barn Burning," demonstrating that Sarty's name was derived from Colonel John Sartoris, who "represents those ideals of truth and integrity" that are clearly part of Sarty's character and often the source of his struggle between good and evil, and between honor and family loyalty — a historically resonant conflict in post-Civil War America. Loges then contrasts Sarty's brother's name, Flem, which he argues is derived from "flimflam," a slang expression meaning "to swindle."
The juxtaposition of these two characters is apparent in the work, yet Loges points out that the father's name, Abner, rarely receives critical attention, even though there is a likely connection between it and the biblical figure of the same name. As Loges notes, "The Abner of the Bible was the commander in chief of the armies of Israel during the reign of King Saul. Early on, there are suggestions that Abner may not have been intensely dedicated to protecting the life of the king." The work goes on to develop this character parallel using additional examples drawn from both the biblical text and Faulkner's story. Loges provides an insightful depiction of the deeper meanings embedded in Faulkner's choice of names.
Loges, M. L. (1998). Faulkner's Barn Burning. Explicator, 57(1), 43.
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